Mandela Washington Fellowships Mandela Day Service Grants 2024

The U.S. Department of State and IREX are excited to announce that applications for the Mandela Day Service Grant, a unique collaboration opportunity for Alumni of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, are now open.

Mandela International Day of Service is officially on July 18; however, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the custodian of his legacy, has advocated for “Making Every Day a Mandela Day” to encourage ongoing volunteerism throughout the year.  The Mandela Day Service Grant provides funding to Fellowship Alumni to support short-term service projects that the Fellowship believes will contribute to sustainable community development.  Through the grant, up to six Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni (or Alumni teams) will receive up to $1,000 each to implement a short-term community service or volunteer project in honor of Mandela Day.

• Table of Content
• About Mandela Washington Fellowships
• Mandela Day Service Grants
• Aim and Benefits of Mandela Day Service Grants
• Requirements for Mandela Day Service Grants Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About Mandela Washington Fellowships

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is the flagship program of the U.S. Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). Since 2014, nearly 4,400 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa have participated in the Fellowship. The Fellows, between the ages of 25 and 35, are accomplished leaders and have established records of promoting innovation and positive impact in their communities and countries. Each year, the Fellows participate in six-week Leadership Institutes, studying Business, Civic Engagement, or Public Management at U.S. colleges or u... continue reading

Mandela Day Service Grants

Aim and Benefits of Mandela Day Service Grants

• The Mandela Day Service Grant provides funding to Fellowship Alumni to support short-term service projects that the Fellowship believes will contribute to sustainable community development. 
• Through the grant, up to six Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni (or Alumni teams) will receive up to $1,000 each to implement a short-term community service or volunteer project in honor of Mandela Day.

Requirements for Mandela Day Service Grants Qualification

All Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumni are invited to apply for the Mandela Day Service Grant.  The application will consist of a project proposal, including an overview of project goals and objectives, target audience, budget, timeline, work plan, and Alumni Collaborator (if applicable). 

Selected projects will be announced in March 2024.? 

Application Deadline

How to Apply

• Applications must follow the instructions in the packet below. 
• Extra materials outside of this application will not be considered.? 
• Revisions to applications after submission will also not be considered.? 
• Only one application per team will be considered.  
• Applications must be written in English.? 

For more details, visit Mandela Washington Fellowships website.